


Juno Steel and the Shopping Spree

by Immortal_Enby_Archivist



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Canon Non-Binary Character, Fluff, Juno Steel in a dress die mad about it, Other, POV First Person, POV Juno Steel, People magically know what gender you are because it's the future fuck you, Unbelievably soft, no beta we die like Benzaiten, they go shopping that's it that's the fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:01:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27908677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Immortal_Enby_Archivist/pseuds/Immortal_Enby_Archivist
Summary: Following a laundry accident, Juno and Rita go shopping together. Fluff ensues.
Relationships: Peter Nureyev/Juno Steel
Comments: 4
Kudos: 61





	Juno Steel and the Shopping Spree

"COME ON, MR STEEL!"

I sighed, letting my 4'11 secretary physically drag me inside the store.

It all started the day earlier, when an accident with the washing machine destroyed 60% of my clothes. I insisted that I was fine and that I could make do with what I had left, but Rita slammed her hand on the table, stars in her eyes.

"You _need_ a new wardrobe!"

I turned my eyes towards Buddy, looking for some support, but she nodded at Rita. "We have to stop anyway, the ship needs fuel."

"What?!"

"Oh- OH, Mr Steel! We can go shopping together!" 

"I really don't think that's- ouch!"

Jet elbowed me in the stomach with a clear message.

I sighed. "Fine, fine."

So, there I was. Inside what was said to be the "biggest shopping mall in the planet!", at least according to the sign in front of the entrance.  
It wasn't an overstatement. The mall was easily the size of a small town, stores as big as buildings stretching as far as the eye could see, and a maze of streets with small electric cars transporting customers to their desired destination.

Rita's eyes shone with excitement. "WOW! There are so many stores! Where should we start? Oh! OH! Look at that, Mr Steel!"  
I followed where she was pointing, and my mouth hung agape.

It was huge. A building three times as large as the others, with a huge sign spelling out "Nebula - Clothing". 

"Franny told me all about this store, she said it's the best in the galaxy! Let's go there!" 

As soon as I stepped foot inside, I was attacked from every possible angle: pop music blasting through speakers, clothes in every possible color, a swarm of people moving among mannequins, warm air that made it almost hard to breathe, and a strong, sickeningly sweet perfume in the air. I barely had time to adjust to the chaotic environment before Rita dragged me through the isles, following some sort of internal logic as she stopped exclusively to take specific articles of clothing. 

"Uh, do you think I'll get a say in what I'm gonna try on?" 

"Mister Steel, you know I love you and respect you so much, but you have the worst fashion taste. But worry not!" She unceremoniously shoved a pile of clothes in my arms. "Rita's here to save the day!" 

She had a point, of course, I'm the kind of lady who buys the exact same article of clothing, sometimes even in the exact same color, because if I like something and it kind of works, why not stick with it?

"Now, what'd you think of this?" Rita held up a dress with a pastel, floreal print and tons of ruffles.

"You might wanna go down a few sizes, it looks too long for you." 

"No, you oaf, it's for you!"

"... Huh." My fingers ran through the fabric: it was light and soft, and overall looked extremely delicate. Even just by holding it I felt like I was going to tear it. "It's... something alright."

"Come on, Mr Steel, try it on!" Without waiting for an answer, she shoved me towards the changing rooms. "I'll be waiting for you here!"

The harsh, white light of the changing room came very close to giving me a headache, but at least I couldn't hear that godawful pop music anymore. I slipped out of my clothes, staring at the intimidating pile of fabric in front of me. There weren't that many clothes, all things considered, but I was still hesitant. So many different styles, colors and textures... It took me a full minute to choose which articles to try on first. Eventually I settled for a crimson shirt, black pants and a black leather jacket. I left the changing room, doing an awkward spin in front of Rita. 

"What do you think?" 

"WOW, Mr Steel! You look like the main character of a drama stream!" 

I did feel like a fictional character, in the best possible way. Like the clothes alone gave me a confidence boost.  
Sometimes I suspect Rita can read my mind, and this time was no different: she nodded and stated: "Never underestimate the power of a well-coordinated outfit."

Next up a t shirt with a logo I didn't recognise ("Seriously, boss, have you been living under a rock? It's the most popular radio show in the galaxy!"), a corduroy jacket, checkered overalls, a yellow skirt, a plain tank top, a striped shirt, a dark green beret, a sweater vest... Rita nodded her approval to every single one of them, more often than not ending up fixing something for me ("Did you even look at yourself in the mirror before leaving the changing room?").  
I have to admit, she has impeccable taste. I don't know how she did it, but every article of clothing she chose suited me. So much more than my plain t shirts and trenchcoat. 

I saved the dress for last. It looked so special, lying on the stool where I placed all the clothes, I knew I _had_ to leave it as a grand finale. I guess being in love with Peter Nureyev is a surefire way to acquire a taste for the theatrics. I slipped the dress on my body: it felt like I was wearing a cloud, impossibly soft and silky on my rough skin. When I zipped it up, the fabric was comfortably loose, giving me full freedom of movement. For the first time I looked at myself in the shining full-length mirror of the changing room, and my eye watered.

I was _pretty_. My dark skin contrasted nicely with the pastels of the dress, the ruffles of its poofy skirt reaching my calves, short puff sleeves impossibly soft. They exposed my arms, scarred by countless fights with thugs and criminals, but it didn't matter. I looked beautiful. I wiped my tears away and sniffled, before emerging to face Rita's judgement.

She fell silent, walking around me like a shark. I would have made a joke on how she was going to make me feel dizzy, but I uncharacteristically didn't feel like talking.

"Mr Steel, you're _gorgeous_."

I guess I was. My eye welled up again, and through the blur of my tears I could see that my secretary was crying too.

"Rita-"

"Sorry, boss, it's just that-" She breathed shakily. "We normally don't spend time together just... doing stuff, and it's so much fun being with you, a-and-"

I enveloped her in a warm hug. She nestled against my chest, sniffling. "Wow, this is _really_ soft. Like REALLY soft."

We both laughed, paying no attention to the people staring at us. When we finally parted, we both rubbed tears out of our eyes and chuckled in unison.

"You helped me with my wardrobe, I think you deserve a reward. Stay here."

I moved through the isles, searching for the one thing that caught my attention earlier. Once a Private Eye, always a Private Eye: noticing things becomes engrained in your everyday life.

When I came back, Rita was folding all the clothes we were going to buy. She almost dropped them when she saw what I was holding. "Tell me the truth, boss: do you actually have really good taste, but you don't put it to work?"

"Just go try it on, Rita."

When she came out of the changing room, I felt a pang of pride warm my heart. She was absolutely adorable in that pink skirt, candy-themed pattern all over the fabric. It was garish and over-the-top, and it suited her 100%.

"So? Whadya think, Mr Steel?"

"I think you look stunning."

She giggled. "Why, thank you! Shall we go?" She offered me her arm and I gladly took it.

At the register the casheer flashed a polite smile at us. "Would you like to keep those on, ladies?"

"Yes, please!" Rita triumphantly paid for the clothes and promptly shoved all the bags in my arms.

I checked the time. "We still have some time left."

"OH! OH! Let's get ice cream!"

Her tone made it abundantly clear that there was no room for discussion, and my opinion on the subject did not matter.

We walked 15 minutes before we found a suitable kiosk. I could feel eyes fixed on us, heads turning as we walked by. It took me a while to internalize the fact that they were staring because we were... well, _pretty_.  
Obviously Rita ordered the most absurd combination of flavors anyone had ever asked of the poor seller, while I settled for a more traditional ice cream.

We sat down on a bench, enjoying a moment of quiet while eating in contemplation.

"Mr Steel?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm so glad we got to spend an afternoon together."

I smiled softly. "Me too, Rita. Me too."

As soon as I stepped foot in the ship, I headed towards my room, where I immediately started storing my new clothes in my wardrobe. I kept my dress on, though.

When dinner time came, I was almost hesitant to face the others. I had to steady my breath before I could confidently make my way to the dining room.

Rita was already there, twirling in her new skirt and chatting with Jet. "Can you believe it? And then, he- oh, hi, Mr Steel!"

Being the center of attention has never been something I actively sought out, so when I felt four pairs of eyes on me, I shuffled awkwardly on my feet.

"There you are. I suppose you can't be persuaded into giving us a runway show?"

I scratched my neck, grimacing towards Buddy. "Yeah, no, I'm afraid that's not gonna happen."

Even Vespa awkwardly muttered something like: "YoulookgoodJuno." I appreciated the effort. 

"Sorry I'm late, I was-" I turned towards Nureyev right as every sound he was going to make got lost before even reaching his vocal chords. "My, Juno. You are..."

"You might wanna pick up your jaw from the floor, Pete."

We both blushed, taking our place at the dinner table while trying very hard to ignore Rita's maniacal cackling.

Once dinner was over, Nureyev pulled me aside for a soft kiss. " _Beautiful_. You're beautiful."

I smiled. "Glad you like it. Come on, the stream is starting."


End file.
